History Main / PlotThreads

* ''Fanfic/AlwaysVisible'': When Pharqraut is killed in front of Galbraith, the inspector holds his friend's corpse in his arms until the orderlies take him away.

* Lampshaded on ''Series/CougarTown'' when they were trying to think of a name for Bobby's (landlocked) boat. One suggestion was ''The Sea Story'' (as in A-story, B-story, etc), because "everything that happens on this boat is kind of a [[IncrediblyLamePun sea story]]"

With three or more plot threads, you usually get a lot of complexity and energy in a story, but the [[FirstLawOfMetafictionalThermodynamics pacing becomes slower]]. This style tends to favor {{Drama}} and other genres with stories that have a large and diverse cast. You see it very commonly in animated shows and {{Dom Com}}s because of their serial nature, likewise {{Soap Opera}}s and {{Long Runner}}s will adopt this format because it tends to drag out the action and keep the viewers coming back.

There are many different variations. Often the A plot will simply be a short bit at the beginning of the episode that gets the characters into "[[ZanyScheme wacky situations]]" -- it triggers the B and C plots. Sometimes the plots are nested like Russian dolls, and to solve the A Plot the B and C Plots must be solved first. Some stories have them all go on simultaneously, and the action cuts back and forth between them. The number can vary, too. [[TwoLinesNoWaiting Sometimes there's just the main plot and the secondary]]. [[ThirdLineSomeWaiting Three seems to be the most common number]]. Why? Who knows, maybe the RuleOfThree. Sometimes there's [[FourLinesAllWaiting four or even more]], but that tends to be pretty rare, mostly due to time and focus constraints.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' has multiple acts, each follows different heroes/heroines and their armies. This causes the series's regular premise of tons of characters to be turned UpToEleven.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'' has multiple acts, each follows different heroes/heroines and their armies. This causes the series's regular premise of LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters to be turned UpToEleven.

* ''Film/ANewHope'' breaks into two threads when R2-D2 and C-3PO escape their capture spaceship. One thread follows them down on Tatooine, where they meet Luke, Han, and Obiwan. The other follows Princess Leah and the Imperials on the Death Star, covering Princess Leah's interrogation and the destruction of Alderaan. The two threads merge once the Millenium Falcon is captured by the Death Star.

* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem Radiance Dawn]]'' has multiple acts, each follows different heroes/heroines and their armies. This causes the series's regular premise of LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters to be turned UpToEleven.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* '' Literature/{{Angelmaker}}'' generally focuses on two characters (Edie Banister in the past, Joe Spork in the present), but switches into tangents about other characters quite often. It also alternates between the two at least changing once each chapter.

* ''FinalFantasyThe4HeroesOfLight'' on the DS is all about this trope. The game frequently splits between the titular heroes (usually in pairs) as they make their way around.

Some narratives will have the [[CharacterCalculus focus]] follow TheHero and his merry band of stalwart allies from their [[HowToGatherCharacters first meeting]] all through to the end. However, that's not to say that events only occur in the hero's vicinity, as if the world were completely inert save for their actions; or that there is only one StoryArc being told throughout the narrative. Therefore, some authors choose to show a wider range of action by alternating [[CharacterFocus focus]] on the various groups of characters who deal with their own contributing story threads that weave back into the greater narrative.

* For the first five seasons and first half of the sixth season, the average episode of ''TheWestWing'' had three or four plotlines. Generally, one was a pollitical plotline, and the other three were either two "personal" plotlines (about the feelings or personal problems of one or more of the characters) and one silly plotline (usually involving someone - most often Donna or a special interest group - arguing or expressing deep anxiety about something comically trivial) or one personal plotline and two silly plotlines.

These are called Plot Threads, [[LawAndOrder and this is their trope]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' has several running at once. As of "The Widow's Sting" we have: The breakout, the Kree-Skrull war, the ComicBook/SecretInvasion, Kang about to come from the future, the assembling of the Masters of Evil, the creation of the cosmic cube, Hydra's re-emerging, Widow's HeelFaceTurn FaceHeelTurn TheMole whatever she ''really'' might be, and I'm sure I'm missing out on several here.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/CaptainSNES'' has more than ten concurrent plotlines. Even [[http://www.captainsnes.com/2003/08/19/376-the-ass-episode/ this episode]] doesn't list them all, as there is also (among others) the subplot of ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' characters trying to find Marle, whatever happens to Max Force and plotlines introduced during the Nexus City arc later.
* At one point, ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'' collects so many plot threads that an omniscient character busts up a scrapbook containing clippings from the entire story and we spend around 150 pages jumping from character to character tying everything up like crazy in order to get everything ready for the massive [[AnimationBump End of Act 5 animation]].
* ''Webcomic/{{SSDD}}'', especially since the Tower of Babel arc started in 2008. You've got Tessa's squad, the Anarchists and their power plays, Dr. Cook... And then there's the concurrent present day arc that skips between Naps' hiding out at the boarding house and Norman's "work" for the Oracle.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' has several running at once. As of "The Widow's sting" we have: The breakout, the Kree-Skrull war, the ComicBook/SecretInvasion, Kang about to come from the future, the assembling of the Masters of Evil, the creation of the cosmic cube, Hydra's re-emerging, Widow's HeelFaceTurn FaceHeelTurn TheMole whatever she ''really'' might be, and I'm sure I'm missing out on several here.

* The ''Literature/{{Deryni}}'' novels have anywhere from two to five plots going at one time, with more plots splitting off during wars (such as the Mearan campaign in ''The King's Justice'') and other periods of high tension.
* ''Literature/WarriorCats'' generally swaps between two major plot threads, and a third, far-removed one.
* ''Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'' is a {{Wuxia}} novel with four different plots and main characters.
* ''Literature/TheIronTeeth'' web serial has a main story that follows Blacknail the goblin, but it also has various interludes. These interludes follow different characters and can even take place in the past. They are used to expand the world and show different viewpoints.

* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' Volume 1 has about nine different plot threads, essentially one for each main character. They frequently weave together and diverge again as the characters interact with each other throughout the episodes, until all threads merge together for the grand finale.\\\
Most Volumes of Heroes employed this technique, ''Generations'' and ''Redemption'' in particular, with there being a loose main arc the others eventually converged on.
* Almost every episode of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'''s later seasons involved multiple plot threads. Frequently, the ending of the episode would tie these threads together (very comically).
* ER did this with almost every episode. Not surprising, considering it was set in a very busy emergency room and had a huge cast.
* Lampshaded on CougarTown when they are trying to think of a name for Bobby's (landlocked) boat. One suggestion is ''The Sea Story'' (as in A-story, B-story, etc), because "everything that happens on this boat is kind of a [[IncrediblyLamePun sea story]]"

* ''{{SSDD}}'', especially since the Tower of Babel arc started in 2008. You've got Tessa's squad, the Anarchists and their power plays, Dr. Cook... And then there's the concurrent present day arc that skips between Naps' hiding out at the boarding house and Norman's "work" for the Oracle.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIV'', dubbed ''"Chapters of the Chosens,"'' narrates four different stories involve seven supporting characters who have their own quests and goals. You have to play through their chapters before the main hero/heroine recruits them in Chapter 5.
* ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius Fire Emblem Radiance Dawn]]'' has multiple acts, each follows different heroes/heroines and their armies. This causes the series's regular premise of LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters to be turned UpToEleven.

* ''TheWheelOfTime'' will be running at least a dozen at any given time after book 3.
* The ''{{Deryni}}'' novels have anywhere from two to five plots going at one time, with more plots splitting off during wars (such as the Mearan campaign in ''The King's Justice'') and other periods of high tension.

* Almost every episode of ''{{Seinfeld}}'''s later seasons involved multiple plot threads. Frequently, the ending of the episode would tie these threads together (very comically).

* ”Literature/TheIronTeeth” web serial has a main story that follows Blacknail the goblin, but it also has various interludes. These interludes follow different characters and can even take place in the past. They are used to expand the world and show different viewpoints.

* ”Literature/TheIronTeeth” web serial’s forests are haunted by many different types of dangerous monsters. They are incredibly dangerous and a lot of people perish within them.

* ''LordOfTheRings'' employed this trope, giving it a place in one of literature's modern classics.
* ''ATaleOfTwoCities'' switches back and forth between London and Paris like this.

!!Examples of works that have more than two plot threads

[[folder: Anime]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''TheWire'' had many densely-interwoven plot-threads that coalesced towards the end of each season.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' Volume 1 has about nine different plot threads, essentially one for each main character. They frequently weave together and diverge again as the characters interact with each other throughout the episodes, until all threads merge together for the grand finale.\\
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[[folder: Theater ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'' has several running at once. As of "The Widow's sting" we have: The breakout, the Kree-Skrull war, the ComicBook/SecretInvasion, Kang about to come from the future, the assembling of the Masters of Evil, the creation of the cosmic cube, Hydra's re-emerging, Widow's HeelFaceTurn FaceHeelTurn TheMole whatever she ''really'' might be, and I'm sure I'm missing out on several here.